Mutter Review

Date Of Release: April 2, 2001

Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness)/ Industrial metal band that formed in Berlin, Germany in 1994. The band's members consist of:

• Till Lindemann (Lead Vocals)
• Richard Kruspe (Lead Guitarist)
• Paul Landers (Rhythm Guitarist)
• Oliver Riedel (Bass)
• Christoph Shneider (Drums)
• Christian "Flake" Lorenz (Keyboards)

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Rammstein we're one of the first bands to emerge within the Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness) genre, with their debut album Herzeleid (Heartbreak) coining the term by the music press. Commercially and Critically, the band has been very successful, earning many No. 1 albums as well as gold and platinum certifications around the world.

They're also very famous for how fucking crazy their live shows can be. As they often use pyrotechnics and are very theatrical. All of the members of Rammstein grew up in East Germany. At the time, theaters were mainly their source of entertainment which explains why their concerts are very theatrical.

Rammstein's members have remained unchanged throughout the years. So have their approach for songwriting, which consist of Till Lindemann writing and singing vocals to instrumental pieces the rest of the band have completed beforehand. Many of the members prior to Rammstein we're apart of Punk rock bands.

My history with Rammstein began when I was in the 6th grade. My family had just bought a new laptop and there was something in it that needed to be looked at. My dad's friend managed to figure it out and that was that. When I was messing around with it one time, I checked out the music tab and browsed the music. That's when I came across Rammstein for the first time, turns out my dad's friend was a big fan of the band and must've left behind some songs from his USB drive.

The first two songs I heard from them was Engel (Angel) and Amerika. I was completely blown away by those songs and have listened to them till this very day, along with some other songs I picked up along the way.

It wasn't untill recently that I've been able to finally listen to their albums. As before they didn't have any albums available for the music streaming app that I use. I've listened to Sehnsucht (Longing) and REISE, REISE (RISE, RISE). Both spectacular albums that I enjoyed a lot.

So that brings us to today's review of the album Mutter (Mother) by Rammstein. An album that's essentially a "biggest hits album" because it contains a majority Rammstein's heavy hitters. Not all of the songs are loud, aggressive, in your face metal. There's also quite a bit of orchestra thrown into a lot of the songs. Mix that in with industrial metal and Till Lindemann's savage vocals and you've got yourself one of the most unique metal albums I've heard so far.

Also before starting, I'd like to apologize deeply if any of the translations are wrong, I'll try my absolute best to see that everything's right.

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Songs

Mein Herz brennt (My Heart Burns)
Kicking this album off we have an orchestra along with some light percussion. Before Till Lindemann's scream leads the song into exploding into glorious metal bliss. The orchestra also doesn't go away, they stick around for the remainder of the song. Which I can appreciate a lot. An acoustic guitar also joins in and doesn't sound out of place. The electric guitar and bass pump out this absolutely powerful wall of sound that just makes you bang your head.

Part of this song's lyrics come from an old German children's T.V show, and the song revolves around childhood nightmares. The lyrics paint a creepy canvas with mentioning things such as ghosts, demons, and black fairies. All things that a child would fear and for good reason.

Links 2 3 4
The sound of a thousand soliders marching starts this song on before the instruments kick in full gauge. The sound of marching persists throughout the entirety of the song, giving this song a very militaristic feel. The drumming is just awesome on this song. The main guitar riff is simple yet still manages to sound nasty. There's a part where all the instruments go quiet and an acoustic guitar takes over as it starts playing the main riff. Rammstein managed to make an acoustic guitar sound metal.

Links 2 3 4 was written as a response to critics that accused the band of being Nazis/Fascist. Not only did they deny this but they also revealed that the entire band is left of the political spectrum. Which explains the heavy military sound that accompanies the song.

Sonne (Sun)
Till Lindemann starts this song off by counting to 9 in German. Afterwards this combination of bass and electric guitar produces this absolute beast of a guitar riff. The drums are also very in your face, like you can actually feel Christoph striking those fuckers away. There's also a somewhat melancholy vibe that comes from this song, you can especially feel it when the string instruments start playing towards the end. Along with a woman beautifully singing along to the melody. This song was originally written as an entrance song for a boxer by the name of Vitali Klitschko.

Ich Will (I Want)
This is perhaps the song with the most electronica influence. As there's this constant use of synthesizers and keyboards throughout the song that gives it a very alien feel. Which I'm all for! Especially when at the chorus you can hear a crowd shouting, it gives me big alien invasion vibes. Till Lindemann absolutely kills it on vocals on this track! You can hear the anger in his voice. He also does a very good job at whispering the lyrics out as well. The bass line is also very catchy as well.

Lyrically this song is a critique on the news media and their hunger for a good story that'll benefit them. As well as the immortal fame criminals seem to get from getting their crimes broadcasted. The message of the song is taken further in the music video.

Feuer Frei! (Open Fire!)
This song is literal testosterone. It's fast paced, angry as all hell, and heavy as shit. This song starts off with a few electronic notes before the band says "fuck that" and assaults you with everything it's got. I love how alongside the traditional instruments you also have some techno playing their own kind of riff. The choir that comes in at the chorus was also a very nice touch. I also absolutely adore that part where everything stops except the electronic notes from the beginning. Till starts softly singing before the barrage of sound starts up again. A kickass song overall, definitely one of my favorites off the album.

Mutter (Mother)
The aggression takes a back seat with this next song. Mutter is a slow burner of a song, acoustic guitars play for the beginning but later get kicked out of the song by the other instruments. This song also features the return of the orchestra. Speaking of which, I love the part in the halfway point where it's just the orchestra playing untill Till Lindemann's screams bring back the other instruments. This song as a whole is very beautiful despite what you might expect.

Lyrically this a story about a person who's birth was a result of an experiment. So he doesn't have a "real" mother. Upon knowing this information he makes it his mission to seek revenge on those involved.

Spielhur (Music Box)
Unique only to this song a xylophone starts playing as Till Lindemann starts reciting an old German children's song. For starters I love how mechanical the main riff for this song sounds, appropriate as it's titled Music Box. The drums really pop off on this song as well. The xylophone comes back towards the end of the song, which does a very good job of replicating a music box.

As I stated earlier, this song is about an old German children's song. The story goes that, there was once a child who pretended to be dead so that he could be left alone. When the townspeople came across his body they presumed he was dead and proceeded to bury him alive with a music box. When the kid woke up he finds out that he's alone and starts winding up the music box and sings. It isn't until a holiday when the townspeople came to the graveyard to pay their respects to the dead that they heard the music box play. Upon hearing this they quickly dig the child back up, saving him. I know, what the fuck? However upon knowing the meaning of the song I have a whole new appreciation for it.

Zwitter (Hermaphrodite)
Yeah this song is kinda fucked up on the lyrical department. Before we get into that though I love the guitar riffs that are played at the beginning. They sound as if they're coming out of an old radio but then is quickly replaced by louder, clearer ones. This song is set on a quick tempo. Because of that we now get an awesome and fast bass line. The drums are powerful on this track as well.

WARNING: I'm gonna talk about disturbing subject matter.

Lyrically this song is about a person who is overjoyed of the fact that they are able to literally fuck themselves. No shit! They're so in love with themselves they even send roses to themselves. To demonstrate the absolute beauty of the lyrics we have this verse, "When the others searched for girls, I could already fertilize myself. I am not even downhearted, When one tells me to fuck yourself". Beautiful.

I'm well aware this far from the most fucked up shit Rammstein has written. While researching this song I fell into a rabbit hole of controversial Rammstein songs, one being about a true crime case about a German cannibal. The other being about a unfortunate case of a depraved father who enslaved his daughter in a basement and had her give birth to 7 children, disgusting.

Rein raus (In, Out)
We have the moans of a woman drowned in reverb to start this song off. Oh and they remain throughout the song. Anyways the electric guitars and bass work together to make this absolutely monsterous and groovy riff. The drums also make you bang your head. An overall heavy and good track.

If the moaning wasn't obvious already, this song is about sex. The lyrics make a comparison between Till Lindemann being a rider and a woman being a horse. To further drive home the point we get stuff like this, "I'm the rider, you are the horse. I have the key, you have the lock. The door opens, I enter. Life can be so magnificent". I couldn't help but laugh after reading the lyrics.

Adios (Goodbye)
This song starts off with an acoustic guitar, it has a very alternative rock vibe to it. It doesn't last long however as the rolling thunder that is the drums, quickly takes over. Actually this song has the best drumming out of all the songs on this album. The main guitar riff kicks ass as well. I enjoy the fast pace this song is set at.

Lyrically this song is about a person overdosing on heroin. The lyrics are full of analogies between the drug and music. For example, "He puts the needle on the vein and invites the music in. Between neck and forearm. The melody settles quietly into the bone". Knowing the lyrics this paints the whole song in a completely different light, it's very sad.

Nebel (Mist)
The final song off the album, Nebel is a slow burner of a song. Synthesizers and the orchestra make a comeback for the final song of the album. In the beginning you can hear a fog horn go off in the distance, fitting for the name of the song. As usual the typical instruments join in at the chorus but aren't doing anything crazy. There just there for atmospheric reasons.

Lyrically this song is tragic story between two lovers. The woman is facing death and as she's spending her last moments with her lover, she requests that he kiss her one last time. It's reveled at the end that the man doesn't remember the kiss because this happened so long ago. It's a tragic but beautiful way to the end the album off.

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Final Thoughts
In conclusion Mutter by Rammstein is an absolutely phenomenal album! It's a fun listen and full of heavy and fast bangers but at the same time holds beauty in it's lyrics and at times musical choices. Between this album, REISE REISE, and Sehnsucht, I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of their albums. There's a reason why they have millions of fans worldwide.

So is this album worth checking out? Fuck yeah it is! I'd say it's an essential to fans of metal music. Even if you don't understand what they're saying you can still have a great time regardless. Though if you decide to further investigate the song's themes you'll develop a whole new love for them. So to ends things off, give this album a shot! There's nobody like Rammstein out there.

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If I Had To Rate It Out Of 10: 10/10

Songs I Liked:

• Mein Herz brennt (My Heart Burns)
• Links 2 3 4
• Sonne (Sun)
• Ich Will (I Want)
• Feuer Frei! (Open Fire!)
• Mutter (Mother)
• Spielhur (Music Box)
• Zwitter (Hermaphrodite)
• Adios (Goodbye)
• Nebel (Mist)

Songs I Disliked:

• None!

Personal Favorites:

• Links 2 3 4
• Sonne (Sun)
• Ich Will (I Want)
• Feuer Frei! (Open Fire!)

For Those Interested In Checking It Out Here's A Preview Song: